IET’s Stephen Stewart: “IP-first infrastructure is beginning to redefine broadcast”

“We now have real-world experience of helping broadcasters navigate the shift from satellite and fibre to an IP-first infrastructure,” said Stephen Stewart, Executive Member, IET Media Technical Network and moderator of the session. “We are not just talking about the technical benefits of transitioning to a fully cloud-based disaster recovery channel, but now IP-first infrastructure is beginning to redefine broadcast.”

Martins Magone, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Latvia-based software as a service (SaaS) cloud playout vendor Veset, said: “Microservices are being built as cloud-native applications from the ground up. You cannot co-opt existing hardware-based technology into the cloud. It will not work. Microservices are the key.”

“The shift is happening now, and if broadcasters want to stay competitive, they need not just cloud but AI on top,” added Anastasia Melnikova, Solutions Architect at Gcore. “The AI infrastructure and the streaming structure are converging. In the future, broadcasters will have one cloud provider that can do content delivery networks (CDNs), encoding and the digital AI models for subtitles and content moderation.”

Marc Aldrich, CEO of Zixi, said: “The industry is going through a massive transformation, but cloud introduces a level of agility that allows you to achieve greater efficiency than ever before. The elements that were once purpose-built are now in the cloud. Avid, Imagine, and Grass Valley are now in the cloud.”

“There are a lot of questions about AI in the creative process,” he said. “But you can save time and money on currently expensive resources in the cloud by using AI with a more strategic approach.”

Anne Morris recently investigated how streaming companies can effectively embrace the cloud. Discover more here.